Protected adhesive labels



April l2, 1966 v1. F. McELRoY 3,245,162

PROTECTED ADHESIVE LABELS Filed Sept. 14, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 if 29; f

I N VEN TOR. J/iajf MQW/*ZW April 12, 1966 J. F. MoELRoY PROTECTEDADHESIVE LABELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed sept. 14, 1962 United StatesPatent O 3,245,162 PROTECTED ADHESIVE LABELS .Iohn F. McElroy, Peabody,Mass., assignor to Dennison Manufacturing Company, a corporation ofNevada Filed Sept. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 223,653 2 Claims. (Cl. itl- 23)This invention relates particularly to labels using pressure-sensitiveadhesive and has for its objects a label which is simple and economicalin construction, which can be applied easily and quickly, which protectsthe indicia from abrasion or other damage, and which is durable andreliable in use.

According to this invention the label comprises a transparent sheet, acoating of pressure-sensitive adhesive on one side of the sheet, andalabel sheet covering said coating, the label sheet being formed ofrelease material so that it may be peeled from the transparent sheet,and the label sheet being divided along a line into a label part and aremovable part, the dimension of said removable part transversely ofsaid line being at least as great as that of the label part so that,after the removable part is peeled orf, the corresponding portion oflthe transparent sheet may be folded over the tace of the label part andadhered there-to by means of said coating.

'Preferably the dimension of the removable part transversely of saidline is greater than that of the label part so that, after the removablepart is peeled oit, the corresponding portion of the transparent sheetmay be fol-ded over the face of the label part and adhered thereto bymeans of said coating with a margin of the larger portion disposedbeyond an edge of the label part for adhesion to an article. Theaforesaid margin may be disposed on any or all of the four edges of thelabel.

In one embodiment the label sheet is divided along two spaced lines intotwo removable parts and an intermediate label part, the dimension of oneof said removable parts transversely of said line being at leastapproximately as great as that of the other Itwo parts so that, afterthe removable parts are peeled oif, the portion of the transparent sheetcorresponding to the smaller removable part may be adhered :to one sideof a sheet article and the portion of the transparent sheetcorresponding to the larger removable part may be folded over the edgeof the label part and, by means of said coating, adhered to the front ofthe label part and to the other side of the sheet article.

For the purpose of illustration typical embodiments of the invention areshown in the accompanying drawings in which FIG. l is an isometric viewof one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the aforesaid removable parts peeledoff;

FIG. 3 illustrates the application of the invention to a divider sheetof a tiling cabinet;

FIG. 4 is a View like FIG. 2 showing only the longer removable partremoved;

FIG. 5 shows the longer part of the transparent sheet folded over thelabel and the shorter removable part;

FIG. 6 shows the transparent sheet unfolded with the label parttransferred to a new location on the transparent sheet;

FIG. 7 shows the label of FIG. 6 applied to the edge of a divider sheetfor a tiling cabinet;

FIG. 8 is a view like FIG. 1 showing a modification;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the embodiment of FIG. 8 applied to apencil; i

FIG. 10 is a front view of anotherembodiment;

FIG. 1l is a section on line 1111 of FIG. l0;

FIG. 12 is a front view of the embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 1l applied toan article;

Patented Apr. 12, 1966 ice FIG. 13 is a section on line 13-13 of FIG.12;

FIG. 14 is a front view of another embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a section on line 15-15 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a front view of the embodiment of FIGS. 14 and 15 applied toan article; and

FIG. 17 is a section on line 17-17 of FIG. 16.

The particular embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3comprises a transparent sheet 1 and a label sheet 2 covering thetransparent sheet, the two sheets being secured together bypressure-sensitive adhesive as indicated by stippling in FIG. 2. Thelabel sheet 2 is divided along lines 3 and 4 into three parts, a labelpart 6, a short removable part 7 and a removable part 8 having a lengthapproximately equal to the combined lengths of the parts 6 and 7. Ofcourse the face of the label sheet must be adapted to receive writing orprinting and it may be made peelable from the pressure-sensitiveadhesive in any suitable way as by a silicone coating on the back.Suitable materials are disclosed in Patents 2,985,544, 2,985,545,2,985,546 and 3,004,871. Behind the parts 6, 7 and 8 of the label sheetare corresponding portions 16, 17 and 18 of the transparent sheet.

One use of :the label shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is illustrated in FIG. 3where the portion 17 of the transparent sheet is adhered to the back ofa divider sheet 19 of a filing cabinet with the label 6 abutting theedge of the divider sheet and with the portion 18 of the transparentsheet folded over the label part 6 with its margin overlapping the frontof the divider sheet 19, the portion 18 being adhered to the front ofthe label par-t and to the front of the divider sheet by means of theaforesaid coating of pressure-sensitive adhesive.

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 illustrate another Inode of use of the aforesaidlabel, FIG. 4 being like FIG. 2 except the part 7 has not been peeledoff. In this mode of use the portion 18 is folded over the upper edge ofthe label part 6 and adhered to the front of the label part `6 as shownin FIG. 5. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the transparent sheet 1 isunfolded again but in the unfolding operation the label part 6 is peeledoff of the section 16 oi' the transparent sheet and left adhering to asection of the portion 18 of the transparent sheet. Then the short part7 is peeled oit, the portions 16 and 17 are adhered to the back of thedivider sheet 19, the transparent sheet is folded over the upper edge ofthe divider sheet 19 with the label part 6 abutting the front of thedivider sheet and the margin of the portion 18 adhering to the dividersheet below the label part. Inasmuch as the label part 6 does not adhereto the divider sheet 19 the space therebetween may be used as a pocketfor the insertion of data slips.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 comprises a transparent sheet 21and a label sheet 22, the label sheet being divided along line 23 into alabel part 24 and a removable part 25, the two sheets being securedtogether by a coating of pressure-sensitive adhesive on the transparentsheet 21 and the label sheet 22 comprising release material so that itmay be peeled off the gummed transparent sheet. Opposite the parts 24and 25 of the label sheet are sections 26 and 27 of the transparentsheet. One use of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is illustrated in FIG.9 where the removable part 25 has been peeled oit and the section 27 hasbeen wrapped around a pencil 2S and adhered to the front of the labelpart 24.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 to 13 the removable part 21 of thelabel sheet is not only longer than the label part 22 but it is alsowider so that, when the removable part is peeled off and thecorresponding part of the transparent sheet 23 is folded over the labelpart as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the aforesaid marginal portion of thefolded portion extends beyond the edge of the label on three sides foradhesion to an article 24.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 14 to 17 is like that shown in FIGS. 10 to13 with the following exceptions. The line 26 dividing the label sheetinto a label part 27 and a removable part 2S is offset from the foldline 29, and the removable part is longer so that, when the wider partof the transparent sheet is folded over the label part about the line 29as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the aforesaid marginal portion of thefolded portion of the transparent sheet 30 extends beyond the edge ofthe label part around the entire periphery of the label part. Also ahole 32 is punched through both `sheets to cause the folded part toadhere to the article 31 along its upper margin. Another hole 33 mayalso be provided to accommodate a small article 34, such as a phonographneedle, which is placed in the hole before the sheet is folded, thearticle then being enclosed between the folded portion of thetransparent sheet and the article 31. Also an article may be heldbetween the label part 27 and the folded sheet without the hole 33.

From the foregoing it will be evi-dent that the present inventioninvolves a single pressure-sensitive coating and the label sheetperforms the double function of a release sheet to cover thepressure-sensitive adhesive and as a writing surface upon which indiciamay be written or printed. Of course it will be understood that theindicia on the label part is written or printed before the transparentsheet is folded over to protect the indicia from abrasion or otherdamage.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purposeof illustration only and that this invention includes all modificationsand equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A label comprising a transparent sheet, a coating ofpressure-sensitive adhesive covering one side of the sheet throughoutits entire area, the other side of the sheet being non-adhesive, and asheet of label material covering said coating with one thickness oflabel material throughout the area of the coating, the label sheetcomprising release material so that it may be peeled from thetransparent sheet, and the label sheet being divided into a label partcovering part of the adhesive coating and removable material coveringthe remaining area of the coating,y until peeled off to apply the labelby folding the uncovered area over the face of the label part, thetransparent sheet extending beyond the outline of the label part yonopposite sides of the label part so that, when the label is applied toan article, the transparent Sheet adheres to the article on oppositesides of the label.

2. A label according to claim 1 wherein the label sheet is divided alongtwo spaced lines to form the label part therebetween with said removablematerial outside the area between said lines. f

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,785,780 12/1930Maish 40-23 2,767,495 10/1956 Harris 40-2 2,893,144 7/1959 Cunningham40-2 3,054,202 9/1962 Scholfield 40-2 3,087,267 4/1963 Gustafson 40-2EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner'.

EDWARD V. BENI-IAM, JEROME SCHNALL,

Examiners.

WENCELSO I. CONTERAS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A LABEL COMPRISING A TRANSPARENT SHEET, A COATING OFPRESSURE-SENSITIVE ADHESIVE COVERING ONE SIDE OF THE SHEET THROUGHOUTITS ENTIRE AREA, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SHEET BEING NON-ADHESIVE, AND ASHEET OF LABEL MATERIAL COVERING SAID COATING WITH ONE THICKNESS OFLABEL MATERIAL THROUGHOUT THE AREA OF THE COATING, THE LABEL SHEETCOMPRISING RELEASE MATERIAL SO THAT IT MAY BE PEELED FROM THETRANSPARENT SHEET, AND THE LABEL SHEET BEING DIVIDED INTO A LABEL PARTCOVERING PART OF THE ADHESIVE COATING AND REMOVABLE MATERIAL COVERINGTHE REMAINING AREA OF THE COATING UNTIL PEELED OFF TO APPLY THE LABEL BYFOLDING